According to Kommersant, 12 Russians are waiting in Iraq to be sent to Syria. Source: RIA Novost /Michael Mokrushin

Ria Novosti/Michael Mokrushin

RBTH presents a selection of views from leading Russian media on international events, featuring a report on a number of Russian militants who are leaving the conflict zone in Ukraine to fight in Syria, analysis of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s plans for the future, and the results of a survey of the happiness of Russia’s elderly.

Russian militants heading to the
Middle East to fight ISIS

The Kommersant business daily reports
that the ceasefire in the Donbass region of eastern Ukraine has led to the
birth of a new class of militias.

Now they are going to fight not for
the so-called "Russian world," but against the militants of Islamic
State (ISIS). For now there are only a few of them: According to Kommersant, 12
Russians are waiting in Iraq to be sent to Syria. The expedition was organized
by Donbass veteran and native of Tajikistan Bondo Dorovskikh.

"These are former servicemen.
Some earn money by participating in various local conflicts. Some are still not
ready to return to ordinary life," Dorovskikh told Kommersant.

However, there is still no talk of a
mass deployment of Russian troops to Syria in order to fight ISIS.

"It is too expensive, the
logistics are too complicated and it is not clear who'll be the enemy. This
makes it difficult enlisting in the military. Ideally, we would like to fight
along Assad's troops but our requests have been ignored by the Syrian
military," said Bondo Dorovskikh.

According to Kommersant sources
within the Russian General Staff, only Russian military experts are now present
in the region, those that are teaching the government forces to use this
technology, as well as security forces that are assigned to the Russian
Embassy.

"This will depend on the
concrete situation in the country, in the world and on my personal
feelings," Putin responded.

The newspaper writes that one of the
main reasons why Putin would decide to continue his presidency may be the
absence of good successor candidates.

Nezavisimaya Gazeta also mentions a
certain "perturbation" of the elites, without, however, explaining
what it means by this word.

Finally, another reason may be the
issue of succession. If Putin steps down in 2018 the probability of him
returning in 2024 is extremely low. Any decision not to stand for election
would mean that Putin would not return to the presidency again, says Nezavisimaya
Gazeta.

But it is unlikely the president will
decide to leave the country if it is in a critical situation. However, by 2024
everything may change (Russian forecasters are building their positive
expectations for exactly eight years), thus in this case Putin would be able to
leave as a winner.

Russia’s happiest elderly people
live in the Caucasus

The happiest pensioners in Russia
live in Chechnya, reports the Rossiyskaya Gazeta daily newspaper, citing a study prepared by the
Rossiysky Pensioner information and analytical center.

According to the study, 88 percent of
respondents in Chechnya said they were happy. The residents of Russia's
northern regions, such as Murmansk, Karelia and Komi, are the least content
with life, with only 31 to 34 percent of the respondents saying they were
happy.

In total, only 45 percent of Russian
pensioners said they were happy with their lives, 22.5 percent could not give a
clear answer, while 32.9 percent spoke about problems that prevent them from
being happy.

In total, 86 percent of Russian
pensioners said that their happiness depends most of all upon health, 82
percent – on material conditions, 81 percent – on family wellbeing, 77 percent
– on love, 71 percent – on free time and 53 percent – on stability in the
country and in the world.